Between Barriers and Energy Visions

COUNTRY SPECIAL s member of the European Union, Great Brit- ain is liable to provide at least 15 % of the Between country’s primary energy demand by renewable energies until the year 2020. Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland in 2007 Amet 1.95 % of that volume. But while there is still a long barriers way for the sector, action must also be taken by the political leadership. Experts at the Department for Busi- ness, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) believe that without a change of the political course, the share and energy of renewables until 2020 will not be able to reach above 5 %. Most of that energy today is contributed by bio- mass (81.8 %) and wind generation (8.8 %) meaning that these energy forms dominate the market for re- visions newable energies in Great Britain and receive most of the political backing. But there are also doubts arising on how the targets of the EU commission of 10 % of renewables in the energy consumption until 2010 could be met. In a report In the production of renewable tech of May 2008, the British consultancy Cambridge Econo- metrics estimates that 6 % would at best be realistic. nologies, Great Britain has missed the Britain’s conservative Tory party remains committed to renewable energies and smiles as the Labour Party boat – but as a sales market, the United hits a record poll low. On occasion of this year’s region- Kingdom is increasingly attractive. al election campaign, conservative leader David Cam- eron chose the slogan “Vote Blue, Go Green”. But while Now, the UK strives for market leader the party advocates the introduction of a green tax, the door for an expansion of nuclear power has not been ship in research and development of shut. More ambitious in this direction has been the maritime energy. Scottish government. “Our target is to generate 50 % of our electricity from renewable energy sources until the year 2020”, First Minister Alex Salmond of the Scottish National Party (SNP) announced in July during the opening ceremony of the 10th World Renewable Ener- gy Congress in Glasgow. It is obvious from Great Britain’s climatic and geo- graphic data that the common picture of the rainy is- lands is only half the truth. While on the one hand 250 days of annual rainfall on the Scottish West Coast and global radiation levels on the outer hybrids of 750 kWh/ m2 will only lead firm optimists into larger PV investments, further south, for example, around the city of Bristol on the tip of the British isle, annual solar radiation average 1,100 kWh/m2 make solar thermal and PV attractive. But the present size of 90,000 solar thermal installations is still mid-range. Similarly, the PV market with about 2,300 systems connected by the year 2007 is relatively small. Today, Great Britain’s total electricity production capacity amounts to a total of 65 GW. Hardly differences in the certification system Great Britain’s promotion of renewable energies rests on incentive schemes. Other than the feed-in tariffs introduced in Germany and Spain, Britain uses Renewa- ble Obligations (RO) to control the share of renewables in the total energy production. ROs have been effective in England and Wales since the beginning of 2002. But Wind energy – rescue also Scotland has with April 2002 turned towards ROs ladder for meeting the and three years later Northern Ireland followed. While climate protection targets. the ROs introduced by the individual states are official- Photos (3): EuPD 158 Sun & Wind Energy 5/2008 COUNTRY SPECIAL PV – still an uncared for technology in Great Britain. ly independent, they are both, in terms of content and 2007, the electricity costs for private households aver- internal mechanism, identical and convertible between aged at 14.81 €ct/kWh and at 10.78 €ct/kWh for com- the four countries. Responsible for issuing the certifi- mercial entities. With the price increases for natural gas cates and the administration of an adequate register is in the past years, electricity prices in Great Britain like- Britain’s Office of Gas & Electricity Markets (Ofgem). Af- wise soared. ter introducing the ROs, the share of renewables in the Of course, this plays into the hands of renewable en- electricity production rose within five years from 2 % in ergies. Due to high and stable wind speeds in the high- 2001 to 4.4 % in 2006. lands and the coastal regions, opportunities are excel- Presently, electricity suppliers are entitled to one lent for both, the onshore and the offshore sector. certificate for every MWh produced from renewable en- About 40 % of the entire wind potential in Europe is lo- ergy, independent of energy form and technology. With cated in the UK. Presently, there are 2,033 rotor blades April 1st 2009, the allocation of certificates per MWh turning in British wind with a total capacity of 2.5 GW. will then be attached to the degree of maturity of the But to meet the EU climate protection targets for 2020, a individual technology. In effect, electricity produced by percentage share for renewables of 35 to 40 % in the to- onshore systems will be entitled to one certificate; off- tal electricity supply would be required, Maria McCaffery, shore systems will receive 1.5 and more cost-intensive President of the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA), technologies such as wave and tidal power plants as assesses. In this scenario, the share of wind energy un- well as PV two certificates. According to BERR calcula- til 2020 would have to equal 30 %. In both, the offshore tions, until the year 2010 an additional annual sum of and onshore sector, capacities would then have to € 1.26 billion will be pouring via the ROs into the renew- touch 20 to 25 GW and 13 GW, respectively. Britain’s in- able energy sector. stalled wind capacities would in total have to increase Private homeowners that wish to equip their roofs by ten times until the year 2020. with a solar thermal, PV or micro wind system are entitled to different types of subsidies. On the one hand, Grid connection as a bottleneck the BERR facilitates funding through the Low Carbon Building Programme (LCBP). On the other hand, the in- Growth in these dimensions is hampered not only by dividual countries have opened additional avenues such delivery times of up to three years for wind turbines, but as the Scottish Community Householder Renewables in the case of Great Britain also and foremost through Initiative (SCHRI). However, homeowners are only enti- delays with connecting the wind farms to the grid. Be- tled to one of the subsidies at a time as multiple fund- tween one to three years is today the normal waiting pe- ing is not made possible. riod for grid connections. Smaller wind parks below To drive the ecological turn, the government in 2001 50 MW obtain licenses through the local authorities; passed a climate change levy for conventional energies. larger systems require a license from the federal govern- This energy tax of 0.58 €ct/kWh applies exclusively to ment. Usually, problems arise as soon as the targeted commercial entities and corresponds an extra burden production capacities for this region are exceeded. of 5 % to the electricity bill. Exempted are private house- Proposals for a RO revision to improve the planning holds as well as electricity from regenerative sources. In control and solve problems with the grid connection Sun & Wind Energy 5/2008 159 COUNTRY SPECIAL have already been made in the Energy White Paper of Currently, the third round is being initialized: anoth- 2007. Should the Energy Bill 2007-08 now pass through er 25 GW are planned for the territorial waters. Which the House of Lords, these proposals will come into ef- companies will be building these wind farms is to be fect. Besides a new framework for investments in carbon decided in spring 2009. Even though details have so far capture and storage projects, the proposals also address not been specified, Rob Hastings, Director of the Crown a strengthening of the RO. But experts are doubtful of Estate division Marine Estates, opens a first perspective whether these reforms will bring betterment. “Present- on the next round: “In terms of capacities, the third ly, proposals are being made to change the planning round will equal about 10 to 15 times the onshore wind procedure and to issue the decision for individual appli- parks currently installed in Great Britain. In order to im- cations within a timeframe of nine months. However, plement these capacities, we calculate an investment this will not affect the number of the projects that are need in the range of £ 30 and 70 billion« (~ € 37.8 and currently under construction as many of them are still € 88.2 billion; exchange rate: £ 1 = € 1.26; status: waiting to be connected to the grid”, said Elaine Greig, 27/08/2008). Senior Project Manager of the projecting company BWEA experts are optimistic and speak of the off- AMEC Wind Energy in Northumberland. shore potential as the “new North Sea oil”. In the next How exactly the procedure for grid connection has to years, the association estimates that about € 75.6 billion be taken out was regulated in the Electricity Act of 1989 will flow into the expansion of offshore parks and cre- and the Connection and Use of System Code (CUSC). But ate 100,000 new jobs. Following the White Paper, a while the net operator is obligated to provide grid con- large portion of these plants will be built in Scotland.

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